Chapter 27: Tuesday

Tuesday, as I drove home from the early shift at Price Bargains, I was disappointed not to see Laura’s truck in front of the house. She called me that morning to tell me she would be picking up some things in the afternoon.

Getting out of my car, I saw to my horror, the front door wide open. Swearing, I rushed inside. The wind left my chest. I looked around, filled with panic. The place had been completely tossed. And, someone had done a fabulous job of it.

I tiptoed through the cluttered floors in disbelief, feebly calling for Laura. Anything once residing in a drawer, cabinet or shelf was now strewn on the floor. As I walked down the hall, I peeked into the Bruce and Buddy’s room and cringed at the mess. Across the hall, I looked in Laura’s bedroom. Her nightstand was on its side with shattered lamp shards laying on the floor. A picture of the boys, with the frame still whole was sitting by the closet door. I picked it up, in an act of preservation and set it gently on the bed.

The kitchen looked similar to the rest of the war-torn areas I had seen in the house. It was as if someone had quickly come in and selectively and chose what they wanted to destroy. It looked to me like someone was in a hurry. The furniture was still in tact, there wasn’t graffiti, there weren’t holes in the walls. It was just a mess.

The door from the family room to my apartment was wide open, waiting for me as I rounded the corner. It was the same as the rest of the house, but in this case, I didn’t have as much. My jewelry, the only things I had of any value, was thrown in a pile on my dinette table. My jewelry box precariously resting on top. My clothes were out dumped on the bed, with the drawers tossed haphazardly.

I stared in disbelief, paralyzed. I could feel my heart in my throat, racing. I dialed Laura’s cell. No answer.

“Hey, Tina.” I jumped with a yelp.

It was Jet, standing at the doorway of the apartment. “The door was open. I am here to give Laura some loan papers.” He said as almost an apology, holding up a manila envelope.

Looked around, he asked, “Have you called the police?”

I shook my head, “I just got here,” I replied.

Jet scanned my room. “What’s this about?”

“The other day Laura said she had something Carl wants—he’s the guy she needs the money for.”

He scanned the room behind him, “Well, it looks like they did this for the entire house. So, I doubt they found it.” I nodded dumbly.

It took 20 minutes for the Phoenix Police officers to show up. Officer Williams, a short, no-nonsense woman in her late 30s, took charge. I told her what I knew I knew of Laura’s situation and she took notes. I suggested it was Carl and his gang of merry thugs who had done this.

“We are familiar with the reputation of the Sweet Shop.” She said.

“I am not seeing anything,” interrupted the other officer who poked his head from around the corner. Officer Harding, was late 50-something, with a uniform at least a size too small. He walked in, looking like he was counting the seconds to retirement. I opted to talk to his partner, which suited him just fine.

“What! What do you mean you aren’t seeing anything?” I said, looking around at the rubble.

“Look, I am not finding a lot of prints. That’s all. It just looks like the house was vandalized. I am guessing these guys knew what they are doing.”

I turned back at Officer Williams. “Can you go to the Sweet Shop and at least arrest those bastards?”

She blew out some air and stared at me, “What I see here is someone came in and messed up this house. The owner isn’t home and has not been reached. There is no evidence of foul play. This is vandalism.”

At this point, I heard the back door slam. Jet rounded his head from the kitchen. “Um, hey Tina, you might want to come out here.” He said, beckoning us to join him.

As we picked our way through the landmine of glass and debris, he led us outside to the outside laundry room. Jet looked at Officer Harding, “Why don’t you go on in first.”

Without flourish, he flung open the door, stepping aside to let Officer Harding check out the laundry room. However, once the door opened, I knew what Jet found. The heat and the stench hit me before I saw him. I barely stumbled to Laura’s well-manicured lawn before I lost my lunch.

“Do you know him?” Officer Williams had me sitting on a lawn chair. Somewhere from behind me, a child-sized plastic cup of water appeared.

“That would be Juan.” I gasped, holding back another wave of nausea. I was working hard to erase the memory of seeing the hole where his forehead used to be.

“Nice tattoo.” Jet muttered. “Good color all the way around.”

Juan’s discovery sparked a new round of questions, coupled with several more officers poking around. Officer Harding, who changed his demeanor became suddenly interested in everything I knew about Juan.

I gave them both the details of Juan’s and Roy’s midnight visit and Juan’s solo trip to see me. “Both times they were looking for Laura.” I gulped as the rest of the realization hit me, “Juan told me last week, he wasn’t supposed to go easy on me.” I barely whispered, “He said he was supposed to be messing me up pretty badly, Or, something like that.”

I felt a bizarre twinge of guilt. Did Juan loose his life because he only knocked me out instead of…? As I replayed the bizarre events, the tears came.

After the police and the medical examiner left, I sat on a kitchen barstool oblivious to the clutter. Matt had made his way over when the ambulance showed up to cart Juan away.

“We need to find her.” I mumbled.

“Tell me again what Laura told you the other day.” Matt said, leaning across the counter from me.

I filled Matt and Jet in on Laura’s conversation. “She was confident he wouldn’t hurt her because she has evidence. She said if anything happened to her, the evidence would be sent to the Feds.”

Matt considered, “Who is holding the evidence?”

“I would have thought you were.”

He shook his head. “No. This is news to me.”

“What about her mom?” Jet offered.

“I doubt it, she never told her mother anything she was doing with the hotel. Frieda wasn’t a fan of the hotel,” Matt said. “I think whatever she has is still hidden. And, I doubt it is here.” He replied, looking around. “Laura isn’t very savvy about technology. So, I doubt it is on CD Rom or a flash drive.”

“I know she has a computer at the hotel, but it is pretty outdated. She even admits she didn’t get a cell phone until last year.”

“Has anyone tried calling her cell?” Jet asked, popping his head up from the book case behind me. In an effort to be useful and restore normalcy, he’s been tidying what he could. Currently, he was working on the dining/family room area.

“I tried it earlier. I didn’t call her at her mother’s house.” I lamented.

“What’s her mom’s number?” He said, holding the house phone Laura kept on the bookshelf. He gave the phone cord a quick tug, detangling it from the answering machine.

Just as he pulled a second time, poised to dial, I pointed to the machine. It was blinking wildly. “There’s a message,” I said walking over to him. Taking the phone and answering machine out of Jet’s hands, I pushed play.

Chills went down my spine as I heard Laura’s voice on the answering machine.

“Hello. Don’t hang up. I’m here. I’m here,” said a breathless Laura, obviously picking up the phone after the machine went off.

“Ms. Jamison, I didn’t think you were going to answer.” My skin crawled at the sound of Carl’s voice.

“I was outside, I didn’t get to the phone in time.” Laura’s voice was steadier now.

“What do you have for me?”

“I told you Carl, I won’t have the money for a couple more weeks.”

“What about the insurance?” I could hear the impatience Carl’s voice. “All you need to do is talk to the adjuster and you could have it in a day or so.”

“That money is slated to rebuild the Hacienda. My hotel. My livelihood.” There was no mistaking Laura’s indignanty. “You will get your money and then you will get the hell out of my life.”

“Good for her,” muttered Matt.

Carl snickered, “You don’t seem to understand. I want the money now. And, I want you to hand over what you have.”

“No deal. What I have stays with me. You and I both know it keeps me alive. As soon as you are paid off, we are square. You got that.” I could hear her voice seething.

Carl laughed something akin to Vincent Price. “Oh no. We will never be square. You will give me what is rightfully mine. Or, I will go to the authorities and tell them you are running drugs out of the Hacienda.”

There was a pause on the tape, “No.” Laura’s voice seemed to tremble a bit here. “Nobody will believe you. I have your files. I have your address book. I know you have been working with Pablo Villanova. I know you stole from him. I know how much you owe him. I will not give you your files. You can go about your business and leave me the hell alone and I will leave you the hell alone, but I will not give it to you.”

On the machine, there was a noise. “I will call you when I have the money. Someone’s here.”

“Don’t hang up,” he said. “I can hold. It is probably your pretty roommate. Let her hear you talk to your friend Carl.”

“Leave her out of this,” Laura snarled.

“Just get the door.”

For whatever reason, Laura did not hang up. Instead, on the tape, there were muffled sounds of male voices and Laura screaming. Then, “Hello?”

“That you?” Carl said.

“We got her.”

“Bring her to me. I will be in around 11 tonight. Nobody touches her but me. I need to take care of this once and for all.” He paused, “And, while you are there, I want you to take care of Juan. He’s a liability.”

Silence. Then, “Did I hear you right?” the voice sputtered.

“You heard. Carl growled. “Leave him there.”

And, with that, the call ended. Jet reached up, took the machine from my trembling hands and popped out the tape.